7 Tricks To Level Up Your Tech Game This Summer

Feeling at a loose end this summer? Not to worry, here's how to make the most of it.

4 min read

I hope everyone’s enjoying their summer! My friends sometimes ask me how to stay up to date tech-wise, or if I can recommend a few tools to learn more about the start-up ecosystem. I thought I’d put together a short list of my favourite resources - things that I read/listen to/follow to have a resemblance of understanding of what’s going on in the “tech world”. Whether you are lying on a beautiful tropical beach or enjoying some rainy August days in London (like me), have a quick read through my record - I hope these tips and tricks will be helpful.

1. Podcast #1

How I Built This

I love this NPR podcast. It’s not about tech per se, but it’s about entrepreneurs who built successful companies - and many of them happen to be tech companies. It’s hosted by Guy Raz, who does an amazing job at interviewing his guests - from Richard Branson (founder @Virgin) to Yvon Chouinard (founder @Patagonia), each episode is different and engaging. The guests never fail to speak about the hard times, the ups as well as the downs. There are some great insights for those who want to build their company in the future (or are already building one!) and it’s always interesting to hear about the stories behind the products and services that we use every day.

2. Podcast #2

Masters of Scale

Reid Hoffman, co-founder @LinkedIn and partner at the venture capital firm Greylock, shares his best advice about how to scale a business. Again, same vibe as the previous podcast: Reid has one-to-one conversations with the big boys and the big ladies of this world (including our very dear Sheryl Sandberg, COO @Facebook, in an awesome episode about leading change in a big organisation) and it’s always fascinating to listen to.

3. Twitter twitter twitter

It’s actually a super useful tool – I’ve only started tweeting (but mostly following) recently and it’s a goldmine. You start by following one company, or entrepreneur, or venture capitalist, or infuencer that you like – and then you follow the people that they follow, and it’s a never-ending source of direct insights from all kinds of interesting people. Ah, and while you’re at it, follow us @SheCanCodeHQ. I also like @weareAllBright, @GirlsWhoCode (and many others, but let’s keep the list short and sweet).

4. Newsletter #1

Finimize is a daily newsletter that summarises financial news and explains the related financial concepts in simple terms. It’s easy to read, fun and you feel a lot smarter after reading their email for a few days. Quick trick: if you’re looking for a job and have interviews coming up, Finimize is a great tool to stay up-to-date on industry trends and come up with super relevant examples. Oh, and the best thing about it? Each newsletter takes less than 3 minutes to read. (Yes I know, it’s not really techy, but the big tech companies are mentioned quite often – and I think it’s important to have a good overview of the world in which we do business as a whole in order to truly understand which part each tech company plays on the market).

5. Newsletter #2

This newsletter is a “curated daily digest of timely, must-read posts by investors and operators”, in their own words. I couldn’t explain it better, and I couldn’t recommend it more: it’s quite dense and full of interesting resources, but try to be picky and read just a few of them everyday.

6. Read a book

No, actually, read two books:

“The Hard Thing About Hard Things”, by Ben Horowitz and “Zero to One”, by Pieter Thiel. They’re both about building and running start-ups. I don’t want to reveal too much but believe me - they’re both worth a read.

7. AngelList

AngelList is an awesome tool to find a job in a start-up. You basically scroll through all the positions available in the start-ups in the area of your choice, and you “like” the ones that interest you, and if the start-up likes you back then there’s a match (yes! Tinder for start-up jobs). I’ve used it in the past and would use it again. If you’re not actively looking for a job, it’s still nice to see what’s going on out there – and, who knows, maybe fall in love with a start-up and make an unexpected career change.

So what are you waiting for? Get busy reading, listening, exploring - it’s only a matter of time before everyone calls you a tech wizard/wizardess!

If you have other ideas, tips, resources that could be useful to the SheCanCode community, or if you have comments on the above list, PLEASE do comment and share them! We can’t wait to hear from you.

#SheCanCode

Lola Wajskop graduated with a Masters in Electronics and IT Engineering in 2016 and with a Masters in Management from London Business School in 2017. She now works as an analyst in a venture capital firm. Lola is passionate about her initiative “Yes She Can”, that she launched two years ago with a friend. The goal? Promote engineering studies among female high school students.